Battery (the Crime)
In this video, we see the commission of battery, a criminal offense involving unlawful physical contact.
Someone noted, “This video makes me angry, but I’m open enough to know that no matter how flat you make a pancake, there are two sides.”
I consider myself “open” too, but in our criminal code, there is no possible justification for this. Even “fighting words” (written or spoken words intended to incite hatred or violence from their target) do not justify assault and battery. And please don’t tell me this was self defense.
Given that, this is certainly a case of battery. If the perpetrator weren’t a cop, he’d get somewhere between 6 months and 16 years. The range is wide because it’s unclear if this is a misdemeanor “simple battery” or felony “aggravated battery, which would be the case if there is serious or permanent physical damage.
